Pinwheel USY

THE INFO PAGE FOR...

ROSH HASHANAH

AND

YOM KIPPUR!!!

The info you need to know!:

1) Rosh Hashanah literally means the "head of the year" but it can be interpreted as the beginning of the year...and this is what we know it to be today!

2) Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are separated by 10 days that are called Aseret Yemei Tshuva --translated to "ten days of repentance". During these days we ask forgiveness from our family and friends, this permits G-d to forgive us for our sins on Yom Kippur.

3) Rosh Hashanah has two other names (specifically used in the Torah to describe the holiday). These names are Yom Hazikaron (literally, "the day of remembrance") and Yom Ha'truah (literally "the day that we sound the shofar"). In the Torah, Rosh Hashanah is never referred to as "Rosh Hashanah".

4) If Rosh Hashanah falls on a Shabbat, as it did this year, we do not sound the shofar on that day.

5) The shofar is an instrument made of a ram's horn that is blown during the holiday. It was also used in our biblical times as a warning to people or as a "call" for certain tasks.

6) There is a major difference between the secular new year welcoming and the Jewish new year welcoming. The secular world tends to do a lot of "partying" to welcome the new year (drinking, dancing etc..) whereas the Jewish new year is welcomed with self reflection and criticism of one's personality. It is not just a joyous time, it is also a critical time in the development of people's attributes and attitudes for the year.

7) The beginning month of the Jewish year is the hebrew month of Tishrei, this means that Rosh Hashanah is celebrated on the first and second days of Tishrei.

8) We use a special prayer book for both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it is called a machzor. The machzor has special readings and additions to regular tefilot. It also includes the Yizkor service that is said in remembrance of all the dead (it is said on Yom Kippur and a few other holidays throughout the year).

9) On the afternoon of the second day of Rosh Hashanah we have a "ceremony" called Tashlich (literally "casting off"). We walk to the closest body of running natural water and "cast off" the items in our pockets (usually we use pieces of bread to symbolize the items in our pockets). This action symbolizes our casting off of our sins.

10) A special tradition on Rosh Hashanah is the dipping and eating of apples in honey (tapuchim oo'dvash). We do this to embrace a sweet new year. We also dip our bread/challah into the honey instead of sprinkling salt on it to symbolize the sweetness of the beginning of the new year.

11) Yom Kippur is known as "The Day of Atonement". It is one of the most important days of the Jewish year.

it falls on the 10th day of Tishrei
we fast completely (no food or water!) on Yom Kippur--it is a 25 hour fast!!
Yom Kippur is known as a "full Shabbat" where there is absolutely NO WORK DONE or PERMITTED.
there are special additional restrictions on Yom Kippur, such as no leather is permitted to be worn, you are not allowed any type of washing or bathing, and sexual relations are definitely a no-no
Yom Kippur is a day devoted to prayer and atonement.
we customarily wear white to symbolize the "cleansing of our slate" and our purity during the holiday
Yom Kippur ends with havdallah and the blowing of the shofar (tekiah gedolah!!)

Candlelighting times for this year are as follows:

We welcome Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah together on Friday, September 22, 2006 @ 7:18 p.m.

We say goodbye to Shabbat and welcome the second day of Rosh Hashanah on Saturday, September 23, 2006 @ 8:23 p.m.

We say goodbye to Rosh Hashana on Sunday, September 24, 2006 @ 8:20 p.m.

We welcome Yom Kippur on Sunday, October 1, 2006 @ 6:57 p.m. and we say goodbye on Monday, October 2, 2006 @ 8:02 p.m.

***REMEMBER NO WORK IS TO BE DONE ON ROSH HASHANA OR YOM KIPPUR!!!

Let us welcome the new year of 5767 with open minds and open hearts!!

L'SHANA TOVA,

Reena Saks

Pinwheel Regional Rel/Ed

2006-2007